Some Amish companies spend a good bit of cash on advertising. But for many, the simple roadside sign is the furthest extent of their self-promotion. I’ve collected a few examples from around the country here. I wonder if you can tell which communities these are from. There are 7 states represented in the 10 photos below. These images give you a sense of the range…
Amish found guilty of abuse Two Amish horse owners have been fined $300 each for leaving their beasts in the heat at a Lancaster Costco. You hear a lot of stories of Amish treating horses poorly. These cases bring out strong reactions to the Amish as a whole (if you can stomach pure bigotry, check the Facebook comments on this story). That noted I think…
Need a ride? Message board inside an Amish bent-n-dent store in Ohio. By the look of that torn-up ad on the left, old fashioned advertising still works. Besides the many Amish taxis, you could also find an ad for child care by an Amish woman. Message boards are still a fixture in some places, for instance country stores. Do you still have anything to do…
It sounds like a parody, but it isn’t. An Ohio Amish man was arrested Monday for shaving off the manes and tail hair of an Amish neighbor’s horses. Apparently there was bad blood between them (the two men, not the man and the horses). He also left a threatening message on the other party’s answering machine. Inspired by the Bergholz group? I don’t think horses…
The New Wilmington, PA Amish community numbers 19 church districts, and around 2,500 souls. It is quite a recognizable group by its brown-top buggies and powder-blue doors on everything from homes to schools to milkhouses. I thought I’d share a few photos you might enjoy from last summer’s visit. Which one makes you miss summer most? The New Wilmington Amish community, located an hour north…
This photo was taken in the New Wilmington PA Amish settlement. I’ve mentioned before how I’m no big fan of cell phones. That said, they sure are handy to have on hand when you actually need to talk to someone. The pay phone is one of those things, like the roadside diner and the family radio, that seem destined to become a quaint relic of…
Taken in the Berne, Indiana Amish settlement. Every picture tells a story. Or stories. What story do you see here?
On the Amish Workshops post, Ann Whitaker brought up a favorite Amish treat: Traveling to Randolph tomorrow! Will be eating a good “fry” pie in your honor! This caused me to reflect on one of my favorite Amish desserts: You know fry pies will never go out of style. I wonder if Keith and Laura carry a fry-pie holster of some sort, so you could…
In 1991, there were 215 Amish settlements in North America. 20 years later, the number was 427 (see this 20-year review at the Amish Studies site). The Amish population doubles every 2 decades (give or take). But this doesn’t mean that existing communities just double in size. As they grow, Amish move. Big communities lose members to daughter settlements. Smaller settlements shed residents too, as Amish form new churches…
Today we’ve got a Q-and-A with Keith and Laura James, founders of Amish Workshops. I’ve been looking forward to this interview because I think it’s quite an interesting look at how an Amish-oriented business gets started and operates. Amish family businesses benefit from and rely on relationships with non-Amish people. As Keith and Laura’s story shows, it can be rewarding on many levels. Running this…